To ease down her nerves that were becoming more apparent, Valerie decided to scan the room while she could. General Rooke wasn't lying for what was awaiting them - scattered across the floor were blue mats, and to the side were training equipment and dummies ready for use. Lined along the walls were sets of mirrors and displays of weapons. She recalled being in this room once to take physical fitness tests, but rarely stepped foot in here before otherwise.

The Commander's voice sounded somewhere to her right, but she was not allowed to look anywhere but straight. All she could do was listen. That was when she realized how smooth and deep Kane's voice was. Goosebumps grew along her skin the closer it came to her. He was calling out the last names of everyone as he passed by - and she eagerly awaited to hear hers come from his mouth. She wasn't fascinated or anything...just...curious to hear how it'd slip off his tongue. Yes. Nothing more than that.

She waited a minute or two until Kane was facing the soldier on her left. She had an impulse to get a glance at his face before he could see her, and succumbed to this urge. A discreet turn of the head for one second was all it took to see the colors of black and gold. That was all she happened to catch before the face of the Commander was in front of hers. Her brown eyes met with bright blue ones beyond the sockets of an intricate golden mask. Her eyes quickly darted to his head and found he was wearing a black and golden hat with a military badge placed on its right side, and a small design leading to the sides from the trim. That was all she could see before he glanced down at the muster roll in his hands and called her last name.

"Toscani."

Her name never sounded so good leaving anyone's lips like that. She gave him a slight nod at first, for that was all she could manage, but she found him still waiting. With as much courage as she could gather, she replied, "...Present."

"Very good." He replied rather dryly, then took a step to the side for the man on her right. Valerie felt her cheeks grow hot in slight embarrassment, and bit her lip to try and get rid of the butterflies in her stomach. She had absolutely no problem responding to General Rooke's roll calls every day, but for some reason, she grew...nervous when Kane was in front of her. She had no idea if it was intimidation or plain admiration. All she can remember is getting distracted at how sharp his jawline was.

That was embarrassing, She thought to herself. I couldn't even get roll call right...

A minute passed until roll call was done. Everyone intently turned their heads to watch as the Commander stepped in front of them. It was now that she had a better look at his uniform. Much like his hat, his coat shared the same color scheme with black, and gold as the trim. He had various insignia lined on both sides of his chest, a golden badge on the left and three black pins on the right. On his shoulders were golden epaulets, one side connected to the pins by a hanging piece of rope. His coat covered the left side of his face with a raised collar, and the whole thing was buttoned down to his hips. The second piece hung around his legs and held by two golden ropes with small tassels tied appropriately near the trim. The last part of his uniform was the pair of black boots he was wearing, with three belts lined along the back and two where the laces would be.

She was breathless at his attire alone. She had never seen such a military uniform so elegant before. General Rooke's was detailed, but not at all graceful like Kane's. She watched with wide eyes as he stopped in front of the middle of the line, holding his hands behind his back and looking around patiently at the desired group of cadets. His gaze was nowhere near her direction, but she was thankful for that. He would've caught her stare otherwise.

"Good morning. Today I have selected you all to participate in further training solely for inspection on your progress of your Blue Phase. I have decided to focus today's efforts on your combat skills and how well they are executed in hand-to-hand combat. After we are done, you will all return to General Rooke and continue on with your daily training." He paused for a second. "-Need I remind you how fortunate you are to have the General in the position as your dill sergeant..."

The room remained silent. The Commander dipped his head down. "Any questions before we begin?"

One brave soul raised her hand. Kane looked towards the woman and motioned for her to ask. She sounded hesitant to get her question out. "-Commander Kane, why were we the ones selected for this, and not the others?"

He relaxed his shoulders and answered her with a wave of the hand. "I've been reading the reports the General has left on your performances in your training, and have noted some very impressive results from you. I want to witness the potential my future soldiers have from various stages in the process. Anyone not asked to come here was not deemed worthy of my attention."

Valerie's lips twitched at that last sentence. It was flattering, but no one should let their guard down. She didn't intend on letting the uneasiness of this situation dissipate from her mind - she still found it odd he would go out of his way just to observe them in further training. She couldn't comprehend her progress being impressive in any standards, certainly not under the eyes of the Supreme Commander. Despite this, she mentally decided that she would exhibit the best of her abilities and prove how worthy she was of becoming part of the Armada. All could go well if this was witnessed by Kane himself.

He dismissed everyone to their assigned places. Hers happened to be on one of the mats matched with an opponent for hand-to-hand combat. The other soldier was a man more stout than herself. He stood tall and proud as she took her respected place, and they both addressed one another by a nod of the head. She felt only a little intimidated - she had hoped for someone smaller so her efforts would look more impressive. Regardless, she watched as he picked up the provided boxing pads and took a respected stance. She looked him in the eye before getting into position, then effectively laid punches in a sporadic manner. She was going through all of the lessons and demonstrations in her head - her positioning, footwork, and stance all carefully planned and executed. She performed rigorously for several minutes, imagining the pads were the heads of enemies, and she was bringing justice to her father once and for all.

She was so absorbed in her training that she hadn't noticed the eyes of the Supreme Commander watching intently from the side. It was only when she finally stopped to regain her breath that he suddenly spoke up. He stepped forward so he was only a few inches away from their mat.

"Excellent fundamentals; your structure is consistent and well-maintained." Something about his voice when he was pleased was...contagious. She pinched her lips together and looked away, attempting to take the compliments as formally as possible.

"Thank you, Supreme Commander."

He turned to her partner and gave a nod for them to continue, taking a few appropriate steps back to give them room. That was when the fellow soldier shed the pads and handed them off to her. She took them and changed spots on the mat, taking the same stance he did and holding them up for him to strike. Knowing how powerful his blows were bound to be, she physically prepared herself for the force that was going to be imposed on her poor wrists. Anticipating these was a wise choice, as he hit exactly as hard as she predicted and repeated with no mercy. She had difficulties keeping her stance firmly planted and grunted as he picked up his pace. She could feel the Commander's stare on her back and inwardly prayed that her partner would at least slow down.

When she glanced up from the pads, that was when she noticed a wild look in this man's eyes. She recognized it all too well from the animals on the battlefield; the ones that lusted for bloodshed and took every training opportunity to the extremity. General Rooke was very wary of these men, and often had them under intense watch to correct their impulses. But Valerie knew what was going to happen and she braced herself for it - she could see the adrenaline pumping through his veins and the slight trace of jealousy in his irises. It was at that moment she saw his fist come flying to her face, and she knew she had absolutely no chance of dodging in time.

BAM!

She was sent to the floor, her vision turning a dark red. There was a throbbing pain in her nose and she quickly held a hand over it. She felt the warm liquid of blood and attempted to open her eyes, but found her sight blurred from the tears now piling in her eyes. Not only had this man purposely aimed to hit her, but he struck a sensitive part while he was at it. As she slowly brought her head up to throw a sour look at him, she was met with the back of a black-and-golden uniform. Even in her blurred vision could she recognize the figure as Kane. He must have stepped in the moment she was struck.

His voice was seething this time, and it did not sound pleasant at all. She saw him point an accusing finger at the man, who took a couple steps back in surprise. "Nothing irritates me more than a cadet who competes with his own men."

Valerie noticed the rest of the room was watching, many faces expressing fear at the situation. She helped herself up and idly stood behind him, wishing for the pain to subside. The Commander noticed she was up and beckoned her away from the mat. Confused, she obeyed and watched quietly from the side. Kane turned back to the man and took his own stance across from him, except he willingly left himself open.

"If you want to hit someone, then hit me."

The cadet took another step back in fear. The look of regret on his face was substantial. "It was a mistake, Commander, I swear. I didn't mean to-"

"Do what you did to her, but to me."

Everyone in the room knew there was no point in arguing with him; even he recognized such a fact. There was defeat in his posture as he went back on the mat and took a stance. Everyone watched with expectant eyes as he went forward to strike Kane in the face, but was immediately blocked. A gloved hand hooked him high instantly. They all watched as the soldier came tumbling face-first onto the ground, and noted Kane's unapologetic look as he gazed down at him. All of this was done in a matter of seconds. The man rolled onto his back and attempted to get up, but was encumbered back onto the ground by the sole of a combat boot.

"Let this be a lesson to all of my promised soldiers." He said aloud, glancing about the room. "The battlefield is not a place of envy. Striking your fellow soldier does not benefit the purpose of war. I will not tolerate any examples of arrogance in any stage. Do I make myself clear?"

There was an unison of 'yes, sir's around the room. The Supreme Commander finally withdrew his boot and allowed him to get back up, who looked more than humiliated at what just happened. Valerie watched speechlessly as Kane approached her, and turned warm when she found his stare on her face. Then she realized he was looking at her nose. She held a hand over it in embarrassment. She could still feel the blood slowly seeping out of it. He took out a handkerchief from one of his pockets and offered it to her.

"Take this and use it until the bleeding stops." He practically shoved it in her hand. "You're excused for the rest of training."

This distressed her greatly. "But, Commander, are you sure? I barely did anything; didn't you want to see-"

"-I saw everything I needed to. I am impressed by your endurance, I just apologize you were involved in foul play. Take it easy until the session is over."

He left her to roam about the room again and spectate everyone else's progress. As she stood there, she realized she was still holding onto the handkerchief he handed to her, and hesitantly squeezed her nose with it. She slightly whined at the pain and shut her eyes tightly. She couldn't help but somehow enjoy the soft fabric against her skin, and slowly found herself relaxing against the wall as the bleeding began to stop. Her brown eyes followed Kane as he went about the room, admiring him every time he stepped in to point out a mistake or assisted a soldier. Her chest grew warm every time she caught a good look at his masked face. Suddenly, she understood why all those other women swooned over the rumors about him.

He didn't do all of this just to prove a point. He was right behind her when it happened - he noticed the fierce look in that man's eyes the moment she did. He called unfair play when she was physically brought down, then went through the trouble of setting him back in place. The first thing he did when he was done was tend to her injury, and she couldn't help but think noble of it. It was something General Rooke would've done - but he did it to give justice to her personally.

As Valerie rested her eyes, she could feel a fluttering in her chest. I must've been hit worse than I thought, she wondered to herself.